Water purifier and filter



Jung: 1, 1937.l

A. --H. BRUNDAGE l WATER PUBIFI'ER AND FILTER Filed Jam( 29, V19:55

I INVENTOR v L man #5mm/msi lATTQRNEY `o desired to employ extremelynely divided maemployed. These parts may be of any suitable 50 PatentedJune l., 1937 Y -I Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,082,322. A

WATER PURIFIER AND FILTER Alfred H. Brundage, Maplewood, N. J.

Application January 29, 1935, Serial No. 3,929

` 2 Claims. (Cl. 21o-134) This invention relates to a novel filter `fortion, reference being had to the accompanying liquids, and, moreparticularly, to an improved drawing wherein: lter which is adapted topurify drinking water. 'Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section,A feature of the invention resides in the -proshowing one -form ofconstruction in accordance r, vision of such a iilter which is capableof treating with the invention; 5 a liquid to remove impuritiestherefrom, which Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line filteris simple and relatively inexpensive to con- 2-2 of Fig. 1; and struct,and eiilcient in operation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, taken onenlargedV A more specific feature resides in the provision scale, takenon the line 3-3 of Fig, 1 looking in of a filter of this character whichis adapted to the direction of the arrows. 10 soften, 'decolorize and/orremove 'objectionable With reference to the drawing, the constructionodors and tastes from water. may comprise a casing 5 of generallycylindrical A further feature of the invention resides in thel or otherconvenient shape. This casing may be construction of a lter which `isadapted to emformed of aluminum or any other satisfactory ploy extremelynely divided material, such as material which is inert to the filteringmedia, and 15 activated carbon, and which is capable of-enabling liquidto be treated. It may be provided with an the liquid-to be Itreated tolter through the carintegral or other type of bottom 6, and may be bonwithout carrying the same out of the lter. open at the top and adaptedto cooperate with a Still another feature of the invention resides cover'I having a flange 8 adapted to seat snugly in providing a filter whichcontains nely divided within the rim of the casing 5. There may befiltering material and which is provided with interposed between thecover and casing a suitable means including fibrous material forarresting washer 9, formed of rubber or other similar yield- .orentrapping ne particles without becoming ing material, in order to makethe joint waterclogged by them during normal periods of operatight.

tion, and without becoming so matted that free The casing 5 may beprovided with an annular 25 ow of liquid is prevented. portion or sleeveI0 formed so as to extend be- An additional feature of the inventionlies in yond the bottom thereof, this portion being ina construction ofthe character mentioned which ternally threaded for threadedly engagingthe can be readily assembled and disassembled, and lower end of acentral member II, which member which permits salvaging ofthe finelydivided mamay extend through the cap 1 and be held in 30 terial forregeneration and reuse. A engagement therewith by means of a nut Iii,l

A further feature of the present invention lies threaded onto the upperend of the member II in the provision of a filter which enables a rapidand adapted to bear against the cap 1 through a and ready passage of theliquid to be treated, resilient washer I3.

so that the lter is 'capable of treating a large The lower end of themember II is preferably 35 volume of liquid in a short time. providedwith acentral passage I4, which may A further object of the inventionlies in the extend from a suitable point above the bottom provision of afilter construction which includes of the casing to a point below thesame. Any a combination of several or all of these features vconvenientnumber of generally horizontal pas- 40 in a unitary, compact andinexpensive Casing sages I5 may be formed in member II so as to 40 which1S adapted t0 be readly Connected t0 a extend from certain grooves I6into the passage source of supply and to a bottle or other con- I4.These grooves I6 lie on the outside of memtainer for receiving the.puried-liquid. ber II and may advantageously extend lengthwise Aparticular use of the present construction thereof for a convenientdistance, for instance to is in the purication of drinking water from alevels above and belowthe passages I5 so that 45 city Water Supply orother source. although it liquid may flow from the grooves into thesepaswill be understood'that the construction is useful sages. Withreference to Fig. 3, it will be noted' for purifying other liquids, suchas naphtha, that four such longitudinal grooves IG are shown;` alcohol,gin, perfumes and the like, where it is although any other convenientnumber may be terlal vas a filtering medium. size and shape. but it hasbeen found that satis- Other objects and advantages will in partbefactory results are achieved where the grooves I5, come apparent or inpart be pointed out in con-A passages I6 and passage I4 are correlatedin the nection with the following detailed description of mannerillustrated. f one form of construction illustratingV the inven- Themember II, between the sections indicatedA 55 i at I1 and I8, mayadvantageously have formed on its outer side a series of circular orspiral grooves I9 for'purposes hereinafter mentioned, and around thissection there is preferably wrapped a wire-screen 20 of suitable mesh topermit'water to readily pass through it, into the 'grooves I9 and thenceinto the passages I8, whence the liquid flows through passages I5 intothe passage I4, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 3. This screenserves to prevent the fibrous material from becoming packed into thegrooves- I5, I9, thus keeping these open to thev flow of water.Surrounding the member II from 'a point below the section I8 to a pointsubstantially A it enough to prevent or hinder the ow of liquid throughthis means. At the same time, this means must be capable of arresting orentrapping of the fine particles of activated carbon-or the like so asto prevent them from being carried out of the filter, with the resultingloss of carbon and the production of a sediment in the filtrate liquid.

. Particularly satisfactory results are secured when this meanscomprises a compressed roll of normally loose or uffy fibrous material35, such y as cotton, preferably not absorbent, in combination with alayer of mesh, such as gauze or cheese-cloth I6, preferably interposedbetween successive layers of the vcotton or the like. It has been foundthat where such material is thus formed into a series of packed layersbetween each pair of which there is a fabric or textile material, theabove results may be secured to good advantage.

By way of example of one excellent type of construction, there may beemployed cotton waddingy which is preferably white and sterile. The typeof -cotton wadding which is often used for filtering milk is good, butother grades such as some of those used by tailors for padding shouldersof coats may serve. For instance, A such wadding in its fiuifed o'runcompressed condition may be in the order of le inch, more or less. inthickness, and may be overlaid on one side with a layer of porous,loosely woven gauze or cheesecloth. Cheese-cloth having 20 x 20 threadsper square inch is satisfactory, though other materials may besubstituted. The cotton waddixig may ,have a glazed facing on the otherside thereof which is relatively dense or closely compacted. Sucha'facing is ordinarily formed on one side of such cotton waddingfasmarketed by textile companies or manufacturers oi' hospital supplies.When about four yards of such material are tightly wound upon a centralmember II having a diameter of 3/4 inch, so that the total diameter ofthe wadding is by comparison about 21/4` inches, good results areproduced.V This winding of the material results in a compression of thewadding to s uch extent that even very fine activated carbon of suchdimensions that it passes a 200 mesh screen may be prevented frompassing through this means. However, these details are not deemed to beessential, for various changes'may be made in the proportions and otherdetails without sacricing the advantages pointed out. If desired, asuitable collar 2| may be threaded on to the bottom of the centralmember Il and may have between it and the bottom of the casing a washer22. Collar 2l serves as a bearing for one end of the rolled cotton orlike material. For bearing against the other end of the cotton a washer21, formed of metal or the like may be slid onto the central member II.

While the cotton or the like employed for entrapping the finely dividedmaterial may advantageously be wrapped around a central upright member,with the finely divided material surrounding it, so that a generallyhorizontal ilow through the cotton is produced, which aids `inpreventing minute particles of carbon or the like from being washedthrough the filter, it will be appreciated that a vertical flow may befeasible. For instance, several iiat layers of fibrous materialseparated by gauze or the like might be placed one above the other andbe compressed to the proper extent to catch or arrest tiny particleswithout clogging the pores of the material.

Where the filter is to be employed in connection with a plurality ofdifferent types of finely divided material, I prefer to'place the moreiinely divided material, 23 in position surrounding or adjacent thefibrous material, and `to provide suitable `means for maintaining thismaterial separate from other filtering material 24 which, when used. maybe placed in the upper part of the casing 5. For instance, between thematerial 23 and the material 24 there may be interposed a wire screen 25which surrounds the member II and extends close to the wall of thecasing.

' In Athe example illustrated, the material 23 may advantageously be anyhigh grade activated carbon. It is preferably very finely divided andthose skilled in the art will appreciate the advantages of employingsuperior grades of very fine material.A However, the invention in itsbroader aspects is not limited to any particular type of activatedcarbon, or even to the use of carbon. The material 24, mayadvantageously comprise any suitable powdered or granulated zeolite.Preparations of this type are found on the market and serve as watersofteners,

In assembling the construction thus far described, the central member Il(which may be formed as an integral casting or be machined according toany convenient practice). is first overlaid with screen 20, oneY end 20'of which may be hooked into one of the vgrooves I6, while the balance ofthe screen may be wrapped tightly around the member II. The fibrous'materiaL preferably though not necessarily with its gauze face to theoutside, may then be wrapped tightly aroundthe post II, by hand or bymeans of any satisfactory known type of machine, so that the screen 20is held in place and at the same time the cotton or fibrous material iscompressed..

The free end of the brous material may be held fast in any convenientway. Collar 2| may serve as an abutment for one end of the cotton duringthe wrapping, if this element has been previously applied to the memberI I. Washer 22 may next be placed .upon the lower end of the member II,and this member may then be threaded nrmiy into the sleeve I0 formed onthe bottom of the casing. Washer 21 is then placed in position.

Following this operation, the activated carbon or the like may be pouredinto the container 5 so as to fill the space between thev cotton and thewalls of the casing. It may be left in loose condition or, it desired,it may be tamped down slightly. Screen 25 may be next placed in positionand the zeolite or other treating material may be poured into 'the topof the casing. A screen i layers of the fibrous material.

25' may be applied on top ofv the material 24 and serves to spread ordiffuse the water and prevent it from washing deep holes in thematerial. Thereafter the cover is assembled with the casing proper andwith washer 9, and the Washer I3 and nut I2 are then assembled, the nutbeing screwed down tight.

In order to provide for the inflow of liquid to the iiltei any suitableopening 30 may be provided in the cover and threaded for receiving oneend of flexible tubing or the like, the other end being attached to awater faucet or pipe. A suitable bushing 3| having a threaded end 32,for engaging similar tubing, may be threaded on to the sleeve i0.Abracket 33 of any convenient design may be securedrto the casing 5 forenabling the same to be hung on a cooperating socket or fixture attachedto a wall.

When it is desired to lter water or the like, it is then simplynecessary to attach tubing to the opening 3|) and to place a bottlebeneath the outlet 32, or to connect tubing to this outlet and ll thebottle through' the tube.

As intimated above, the present construction has been particularlydeveloped in connection with the furnishing vof puried water for 5gallon bottles or other containers commonly used with coolers fordrinking water for ofilce or vhome purposes. When a construction inaccordance with the present invention is employed, it is possible tolter about 800 gallons of water without any carbon getting into thefiltrate. Also, very little carbon gets into the` cotton, although someslight amount may penetrate into the successive However, none passes thenal layer, each layer entrapping all or most of what passes a precedinglayer. On the other hand, the filtration rates are not excessivelyreduced even toward theend of such a run, so that the device lasts for asatisfactory commercial period. Moreover, WhenV the filter medium hasoutlived its usefulness, the lter in service may simply be replaced byanother unit, while the casing of the exhausted unit may be readilyemptied by lrst removing the cover 1,

then shaking out the zeolite 24, removing the screen 25, shaking out thecarbon, and nally removing the member Il and the brous material woundupon it. This material may be discarded while the zeolites and activatedcarbon may be readily regenerated or replaced by new material when thefilter is reassembled.

It'will be found that even after extended use, the activated carbon hasnot entirely penetrated to the center layer of the cotton or othermaterial which is wrapped around the member Il. In other words, whilethe water has readily penetrated through the carbon and through thei'lbrous material, so that a 5 gallon bottle may be lled in a littleover a minute, the condition of the cotton has remained such that thecarbon is entrapped by what may be termed, though perhaps notaccurately, a capillary attraction.

Without intending to limit the possible modications of the` presentconstruction, a few possible variations may be mentioned. For instance,instead of the gauze or cheese-cloth interposed between the layers offibrous material, there may vbe employed a copper screen, of say 40mesh,

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material being washed through into the filtrate.

It is believed that part of this effect is due to the compact and yetnot too compact arrange-Y ment of'the several portions or layers of thebrous material, which are kept apart sufficiently by the fabric or meshto avoid such compacting as would prevent the penetration of the water,while at the same time the `fibrous material entraps the very neparticles of 200 mesh size or 'even less.

Another advantage of the invention is particulariy notable in connectionwith purification of drinking water, where it is highly desirable tohave a rapid flow of water through the filter, under the normal pressureor head of thesupply, so that people will not have to wait a long timefor a 5 gallon bottle or other container to'be filled.

Furthermore, the construction is extremely simple to manufacture andassemble and may be used over and over again by replacement only of theleast expensive parts of the filter. In addition, provision is made forthe use of a plurality of different types of finely divided filteringmaterial which can each be recovered separately so that either or bothmay be discarded or regenerated independently of the other. Thecombination enables the filter to remove all the more common andobjectionable impurities in ordinary drinking water, such as chlorineodor and taste, ne particles and even possibly certainbacterialimpurities. Certain substances in solution are also removed.Another more detailed `advantage resides in preventing the Wrappingmaterial from becomingA packed into the, grooves through which theliquid runs into the discharge or outlet pipe, while at the same timethe wrapping presents a maximum area for adsorbing the rtiny particlesof the nely divided filtering material.

While I do not set down here all the detailed advantages of the variouscombinations of features of the present construction, it will beappreciated that there are numerous structural advantages which fallWithin the scope of the invention.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and -there is no intention, in theuse of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described, or portions thereof, but it is recog- -onsaid core in spiral fashion comprising fibrous material of the characterof cotton wadding, said wadding being overlaid with a continuous stripof textile mesh material lying between successive layers of the Wadding,and said wadding being compressed adjacent said core from a normalthickness in the order of one-quarter of an' inch to a thickness whichsaid wadding has when about four yards of it are wound upon a core ofthreequarter inch diameter with the outside diameter of the -wadding inthe order of two and one-quarter inches.

2. In a lter for purifying water for drinking purposes, a casing, acentral post carried Within the casing. a central outlet passage formedin the post, means whereby said passage is connected to the outside ofthe post, a plurality of alter

